Generous donations given to help a cancer-battling mum fulfil her final wishes and make precious family memories has almost topped £2,000 in just over 24 hours.

Melissa Lacey, 33, of Billingham, was told that it will be a “miracle” if she lives to see the next two years after she was diagnosed with a rare appendix cancer which affects just one in three million people.

She said: “I don’t wish for anything to be different. I just wish for Evan to have happy memories.

“Knowing that I won’t see him grow up is heartbreaking.

“I think let’s make every day count.”

Melissa Lacey with husband Carl and son Evan

Melissa, who is married to Carl, who she describes as her “soulmate,” has stage four signet ring cell appendix cancer also known as psuedomyxoma peritonei (PMP). As if one cancer wasn’t enough to deal with, Melissa also has bowel cancer, ovarian cancer and peritoneal cancer.

With intentions to cherish every day, one of Melissa’s biggest wishes was to take her little boy to Walt Disney World, even if she had to spend every last penny of her savings.

However, since her old school friends have been made aware of her devastating situation, they have vowed to help.

The page, ‘Memories for Melissa,’ was initially set up to help raise £500.

A day later, thanks to the genorosity of over 100 people, the total now stands at £1,925.

After finding out about the fundraising, Melissa described it as “the most amazing thing anyone has ever done” for her.

Speaking to The Gazette yesterday, she said: “If my time is going to be short, the most important thing is to give my little boy the most amazing time he can have, and I’m so humbled people want to help me with that.

“I would spend it on making memories for Evan and whatever’s spare, I would donate the rest to pseudomyxoma research.”